ACT English Practice

Antecedent

the noun a pronoun is standing in for

Pronoun

a word that stands in for another noun (like he, she, or it)

Modifiers

Words or phrases used to enhance the meaning of or describe a noun (e.g. “I want a yellow shirt.” & “He played nicely.”)

Adjectives and adverbs are…?

modifiers

Adverb

words that provide context in a sentence by describing how, when, where, and to what extent something occurs. They modify other parts of speech.

Comparative adjectives

a form of adjectives that compare two things (e.g. “She is older than him.” & “You are more[ad] serious than mickey mouse.”).

Superlative adjectives

a form of adjectives that compare three or more things, usually used to show that something is in the top of its category (e.g. “He is the tallest person in the class.” & “She is the most[ad] serious person in the world.”).

Parallel Structure

using the same pattern of words (e.g. “-ing,” “-ed,” etc.) to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. Usually used in a list (e.g. “He cooked, baked, and cleaned.”).

Conjunction

a word used to connect clauses or sentences.

Coordinating Conjunction

a conjunction that links two independent clauses. FANBOYS

FANBOYS stands for…?

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, & so.

Subordinating Conjunction

a conjunction that links a dependent clause to an independent clause (e.g. although, if, while, etc.).

Run-on Sentences

sentences with two independent clauses that run together without proper punctuation or appropriate conjunctions.

Coma Splice

an instance of using a comma to link two independent clauses which should instead be linked by a colon, semicolon, or conjunction.

Sentence Fragments

a string of words that does not form a complete sentence; there is a necessary component of a complete sentence missing (usually subject or predicate). Example: “Shows no improvement in any of the vital signs.”

Predicate

the basic word or words that explain what specific action the subject of the sentence is doing. In other words, verbs and verb phrases.

Writing Style

relates to an author’s use of vocabulary, level diction, sentence structure, and arrangement of ideas. The way something is written.

Writing Tone

shows the author’s attitude towards his or her subject (e.g. informal, serious, humorous, etc.).

Diction

the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Gapping Commas

commas that show that one or more words have been left out when the missing words would simply repeat the words already used earlier in the same sentence (e.g. “I wanted to watch Cars 3; my sister, Shrek.”)

Supplements

words, phrases, and relative clauses that add extra info to a sentence, often to describe or elaborate something.

Essential elements

elements of a sentence that contain required information the reader must know in order to fully understand the sentence. They are NOT separated by punctuation.

Nonessential elements

elements of a sentence which do not contain information essential to the meaning of the sentence as a whole. They need to be separated by punctuation.

Phrase

a group of words that work together to express a single idea but do not form a complete sentence.

Transitions

words, phrases, or sentences that hold ideas together, and tell the reader how those ideas are related (e.g. additionally, however, then, etc.).

Simple Sentence

sentence with a subject and verb, and expresses a complete thought.

Compound Sentence

sentence that combines two independent clauses with a conjunction

Complex Sentence

sentence that contains an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

Compound-Complex Sentence

sentence that includes two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

Subjective pronoun case

used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence.

Objective pronoun case

used when the pronoun is the object of a verb or preposition.

Possessive pronoun case

pronoun that shows ownership or relationship.

Prepositional Phrases

a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase

Preposition

a word that indicates the relationship of a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to another word or phrase in a sentence.

Redundancy

using more words than necessary.